Computer-controlled sewing machine positioning system integrated with processing device, and positioning method thereof

ABSTRACT

A computer-controlled sewing machine positioning system integrated with a processing device ( 50 ), and positioning method thereof, fixedly disposing at least one processing device ( 50 ) at one side of the sewing head ( 41 ) of a computer-controlled sewing machine ( 40 ); movement of the processing device ( 50 ) is controlled by a processing program of the computer-controlled sewing machine ( 40 ); a relative distance is provided between the processing head ( 51 ) of the processing device ( 50 ) and the sewing head ( 41 ) to give the movement range of a conveying mechanism ( 20 ) to extend to covered positions below the sewing head ( 41 ) and the processing head ( 51 ), such that a fixing mechanism ( 30 ) is moved and feeds below the sewing head ( 41 ) and the processing head ( 51 ); and presetting a positioning distance between two positioning parts ( 33, 34 ) of the fixing mechanism ( 30 ) and the relative distances in the processing program, thus automatically determining the feed distance of the fixing mechanism ( 30 ) between the sewing head ( 41 ) and the processing head ( 51 ), improving sewing and processing precision and production efficiency, and reducing the size and cost of the device.

BACKGROUND

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a positioning system and method for acomputer-controlled sewing machine, and more particularly to acomputer-controlled sewing machine positioning system integrated with aprocessing device, and positioning method thereof

Related Prior Art

The computer-controlled sewing machine has found wide application inindustry due to its improved processing accuracy and productionefficiency. The computer-controlled sewing machine includes a clampingdevice to fix a to-be-processed object to a plane, and then the sewinghead of the sewing machine performs sewing on the to-be-processed objectaccording to the sewing program set in the computer.

It is to be noted that, prior to being made into the final product, theto-be-processed object has to go through multiple processing steps, suchas application of cement, holes punching, inserting of decorative orfunctional eyelets, and etc, which are the steps need to be performed atspecific positions on a sewing machine

The inserting of eyelets, for example, is a processing operationcommonly used in industry, and is usually performed by manual labor,namely, the to-be-sewed object is manually moved to a work positionbelow the eyelet inserting head, and then the processing step ofinserting of eyelets is performed. The existing computer-controlledeyelet inserting machine is only capable of automatically performingeyelet inserting process by using computer program.

Currently, the above processing steps are carried out separately byrespective independent processing machines, and each of the independentprocessing machines has to be equipped with a clamping device to clampthe to-be-processed object. For example, between the sewing step and theeyelet inserting step, the to-be-processed object must be taken off fromthe clamping device of the processing machine used in the priorprocessing step and then manually moved to and clamped by the clampingdevice of the processing machine used in the next processing step. Themovement of the to-be-process object between processing steps is likelyto cause dislocation of the to-be-processed object, consequently leadingto reduction in processing accuracy.

Therefore, a computer-controlled sewing machine positioning systemintegrated with a processing device, and positioning method thereof isnecessary to integrate all the above processing into one, wherein acomputer program in a design phase integrates the operation instructionsof all the processing steps. The computerized sewing is integrated withother equipments, such as the eyelet inserting mechanism, and uses oneand the same clamping device to clamp the to-be-processed object whenperforming the above processing steps, and all the processing steps arecontrolled by one and the same computer program.

The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate theafore-described disadvantages.

SUMMARY

The present invention is aimed at providing a computer-controlled sewingmachine positioning system integrated with a processing device, andpositioning method thereof, wherein at least one processing device isfixed at one side of the sewing head of the computer-controlled sewingmachine The processing device is controlled by the processing program ofthe computer-controlled sewing machine, movement of the processingdevice is controlled by a processing program of the computer-controlledsewing machine; a relative distance is provided between the processinghead of the processing device and the sewing head to give the movementrange of a conveying mechanism to extend to covered positions below thesewing head and the processing head, such that a fixing mechanism ismoved and feeds below the sewing head and the processing head; andpresetting a positioning distance between two positioning parts of thefixing mechanism and the relative distances in the processing program,thus automatically determining the feed distance of the fixing mechanismbetween the sewing head and the processing head, improving sewing andprocessing precision and production efficiency, and reducing the sizeand cost of the device.

A computer-controlled sewing machine positioning system integrated witha processing device, in accordance with the present invention comprises:a work platform including a top surface, an opposite bottom surface, anda positioning mechanism disposed on the top surface; a conveyingmechanism disposed at one side of the work platform, and including afirst slide rail assembly extending in a direction X and a second sliderail assembly extending in a direction Y, a clamping device beingdisposed at one end of the second slide rail assembly facing the workplatform; a computer-controlled sewing machine disposed on the workplatform and including a processing program, and further including asewing head which is disposed above the top surface of the workplatform; at least one processing device disposed on the work platform,and including a processing head, a relative distance being providedbetween the processing head and the sewing head and located along thework platform; and a fixing mechanism serving to fix an object to besewn, and including a rod extending in the direction X and a supportplate which has a lateral edge fixed to the rod, the rod being providedat two ends thereof with a first positioning part and a secondpositioning portion, and a positioning distance being provided betweenthe first and second positioning portions; wherein the positioningmechanism, the conveying mechanism, the clamping device and theprocessing device are electrically connected to the computer-controlledsewing machine and controlled to operate by the processing program, theprocessing program controls the positioning mechanism to fix the fixingmechanism to the work platform and make the clamping device selectivelyclamp the first positioning part or the second positioning portion, andthe fixing mechanism is driven by the conveying mechanism to move on thework platform, so that the processing program is able to calculate amovement distance of the fixing mechanism between the sewing head or theprocessing head by using the positioning distance and the relativedistance.

A positioning method of the computer-controlled sewing machinepositioning system is used in the sewing operation and the processingprocedures integrated with the sewing operation, and comprises: a stepof defining the relative distance including: locating the processingdevice in a position which is precisely defined and located at adistance from the sewing head of the computer-controlled sewing machine,defining a distance between the processing head and the sewing headalong the work platform as the relative distance, and presetting therelative distance in the processing program of the computer-controlledsewing machine; a step of defining the positioning distance including:presetting the first positioning part and the second positioning part onthe rod of the fixing mechanism, defining a distance between the firstand second positioning parts as the positioning distance, presetting thepositioning distance in the processing program of thecomputer-controlled sewing machine; a step of positioning insewing-operation including: using the clamping device to clamp the firstpositioning part of the fixing mechanism, abutting the fixing mechanismagainst the support bracket, moving, by the conveying mechanism, thefixing mechanism to a position below the sewing head; and a step ofpositioning in processing procedures including: sending, by theprocessing program, an instruction to the conveying mechanism to makethe clamping device clamp against the fixing mechanism when theprocessing program determines the positioning distance with respect tothe relative distance, finding coordinates where the relative distanceand the positioning distance are equal, so that, based on thecoordinates, the fixing mechanism is moved from the position below thesewing head to a position below the processing head to performprocessing procedures.

The step of positioning in sewing-operation and the step of positioningin processing procedures can be swapped, there is a method for changingthe position of the fixing mechanism between the step of positioning insewing-operation and the step of positioning in processing procedures,the method for changing the position of the fixing mechanism including:

turning on the positioning mechanism, when the clamping device clampsone of the first and second positioning portions, to fix the fixingmechanism to the work platform;

making the clamping device release the one of the first and secondpositioning portions;

moving, by the conveying mechanism, the clamping device in the directionY to release from the fixing mechanism, moving the clamping device inthe direction X to another one of the first and second positioningportions, moving the clamping device in the direction Y to the anotherone of the first and second positioning portions;

making the clamping device clamp the another one of the first and secondpositioning portions, making the positioning mechanism stop working, sothat the fixing mechanism is allowed to be driven by the clamping deviceand the conveying mechanism to move on the work platform.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the computer-controlled sewing machineof the present invention integrated with an eyelet inserting device;

FIG. 2 shows the structure of the clamping device in accordance with thepresent invention;

FIG. 3 is a flow chart view showing the positioning method of thecomputer-controlled sewing machine positioning system; and

FIGS. 4-1-4-4 are illustrative views showing the movement of theclamping device of the computer-controlled sewing machine of the presentinvention.

DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

Work platform 10 top surface 101 bottom surface 102 positioningmechanism 103 electromagnet 11 magnetic surface 111 conveying mechanism20 first slide rail assembly 21 second slide rail assembly 22 clampingdevice 201 support bracket 23 piston motor 24 link rod 241 hook 25fixing mechanism 30 rod 31 support plate 32 first positioning part 33and a positioning protrusion 331 second positioning part 34 positioningprotrusion 341 computer-controlled sewing machine 40 sewing head 41processing device 50 processing head 51 direction X direction Y step S1of defining the relative distance step S2 of defining the positioningdistance step S3 of positioning in sewing-operation step S4 ofpositioning in processing procedures

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention will be clearer from the following descriptionwhen viewed together with the accompanying drawings, which show, forpurpose of illustrations only, the preferred embodiment in accordancewith the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4-4, a computer-controlled sewing machinepositioning system integrated with a processing device, and positioningmethod thereof is shown.

The computer-controlled sewing machine positioning system integratedwith a processing device in accordance with the present inventioncomprises: a work platform 10 equipped with a positioning mechanism 103,a conveying mechanism 20 provided with a clamping device 201, a fixingmechanism 30, a computer-controlled sewing machine 40 and at least oneprocessing device 50.

The work platform 10 includes a top surface 101 and an opposite bottomsurface 102, and the positioning mechanism 103 is disposed on the topsurface 101. In this embodiment, the positioning mechanism 103 includestwo electromagnets 11, and each of the electromagnets 11 includes amagnetic surface 111 which protrudes out of the top surface 101. Thefixing mechanism 30 includes a rod 31 which is a magnetically attractivemetal rod to be attracted to the two electromagnets 11, so that thefixing mechanism 30 is fixed to the top surface 101 of the work platform10.

The conveying mechanism 20 is disposed at one side of the work platform10, and includes a first slide rail assembly 21 extending in a directionX and a second slide rail assembly 22 extending in a direction Y. Theclamping device 201 is disposed at one end of the second slide railassembly 22 facing the work platform 10. In this embodiment, theclamping device 201 includes a support bracket 23 which is fixed to theend of the second slide rail assembly 22 facing the work platform 10. Apiston motor 24 is provided on the support bracket 23, and two link rods241 are disposed at two ends of the piston motor 24 and each has adistal end pivoted to a hook 25, respectively.

The computer-controlled sewing machine 40 is disposed on the workplatform 10 and uses a processing program to execute sewing operationand relative processing procedures. The computer-controlled sewingmachine 40 includes a sewing head 41 which is disposed above the topsurface 101 of the work platform 10.

The at least one processing device 50 is disposed on the work platform10, and includes a processing head 51. A relative distance is providedbetween the processing head 51 and the sewing head 41 and located alongthe work platform 10. In this embodiment, the at least one processingdevice 50 is selected from the group consisting of eyelet insertingmachine, a cementing application gun and a holes punching hammer Betweenthe processing head 51 of each processing device 50 and the sewing head41 is provided the relative distance which is located along the workplatform 10.

The fixing mechanism 30 serves to fix an object to be sewn (not shown),and includes the rod 31 extending in the direction X and a support plate32 which has a lateral edge fixed to the rod 31. The rod 31 is providedat two ends thereof with a first positioning part 33 and a secondpositioning part 34, and the first positioning part 33 is locatedcorresponding to the support plate 32. A positioning distance isprovided between the first and second positioning parts 33, 34. In thisembodiment, the first positioning part 33 includes a pair of positioningprotrusions 331, and the second positioning part 34 includes a pair ofpositioning protrusions 341. The two link rods 241 are driven by thepiston motor 24 to make the hooks 25 release or clamp the positioningprotrusions 331, 341 of the fixing mechanism 30, so that the fixingmechanism 30 is abutted against the support bracket 23 and driven by theconveying mechanism 20 to move on the work platform 10 to a positionbelow the sewing head 41 or the processing head 51.

The positioning mechanism 103, the conveying mechanism 20, the clampingdevice 201 and the processing device 50 are electrically connected tothe computer-controlled sewing machine 40 and controlled to operate bythe processing program. The processing program controls the positioningmechanism 103 to fix the fixing mechanism 30 to the work platform 10 andmake the clamping device 201 selectively clamp the first positioningpart 33 or the second positioning part 34, and the fixing mechanism 30is driven by the conveying mechanism 20 to move on the work platform 10.The processing program can calculate the accurate movement distance ofthe fixing mechanism 30 between the sewing head 41 or the processinghead 51 by using the positioning distance and the relative distance.

In this embodiment, the positioning distance between the first andsecond positioning parts 33, 34 of the fixing mechanism 30 is equal tothe relative distance between the processing head 51 of the processingdevice 50 and the sewing head 41 of the computer-controlled sewingmachine 40, so that position coordinates can be obtained to move thefixing mechanism 30 between the sewing head 41 and the processing head51.

What mentioned above are the structure relations of the main componentsof the embodiment, for a better understanding of the function andoperation of the present invention, reference should be made to thefollowing description when taken into conjunction with FIGS. 1 to 4-4.

The positioning method of the computer-controlled sewing machinepositioning system in accordance with the present invention is used inthe sewing operation and the processing procedures integrated with thesewing operation. As shown in FIG. 3, the positioning method includesthe following steps: a step S1 of defining the relative distance, a stepS2 of defining the positioning distance, a step S3 of positioning insewing-operation, and a step S4 of positioning in processing procedures.The step S3 and the step S4 can be swapped. There is a method forchanging the position of the fixing mechanism between the steps S3 andS4.

The step S1 of defining the relative distance includes locating theprocessing device 50 in a position which is precisely defined andlocated at a distance from the sewing head 41 of the computer-controlledsewing machine 40, defining a distance between the processing head 51and the sewing head 41 along the work platform 10 as a relativedistance, and presetting the relative distance in the processing programof the computer-controlled sewing machine 40.

The step S2 of defining the positioning distance includes presetting thefirst positioning part 33 and the second positioning part 34 on the rod31 of the fixing mechanism 30, defining the distance between the firstand second positioning parts 33, 34 as the positioning distance,presetting the positioning distance in the processing program of thecomputer-controlled sewing machine 40.

The step S3 of positioning in sewing-operation includes using theclamping device 201 to clamp the first positioning part 33 of the fixingmechanism 30, abutting the fixing mechanism 30 against the supportbracket 23, moving, by the conveying mechanism 20, the fixing mechanism30 to a position below the sewing head 41.

The step S4 of positioning in processing procedures includes sending, bythe processing program, an instruction to the conveying mechanism 20 tomake the clamping device 201 clamp against the fixing mechanism 30 whenthe processing program determines the positioning distance with respectto the relative distance, finding coordinates where the relativedistance and the positioning distance are equal, so that, based on thecoordinates, the fixing mechanism 30 can be moved precisely from theposition below the sewing head 41 to a position below the processinghead 51 to perform processing procedures.

More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 4-1 to 4-4, the method for changingthe position of the fixing mechanism includes: moving, when theprocessing device 50 is turned on, the fixing mechanism 30 to a positionwhere the rod 31 and the positioning mechanism 103 are aligned in avertical direction, at this moment, the clamping device 201 is clampedagainst one of the first and second positioning parts 33, 34 to turn onthe positioning mechanism 103, so that the positioning mechanism 103produces magnetic force to attract the rod 31, consequently the fixingmechanism 30 is fixed to the work platform 10; then making the pistonmotor 24 releases the hooks 25, pivoting the hooks 25 to disengage fromone of the first and second positioning parts 33, 34, moving, by theconveying mechanism 20, the clamping device 201 in the direction Y torelease from the fixing mechanism 30, moving the clamping device 201 inthe direction X to another one of the first and second positioning parts33, 34, moving the clamping device 201 in the direction Y to the anotherone of the first and second positioning parts 33, 34; making theclamping device 201 clamp the another one of the first and secondpositioning parts 33, 34, making the positioning mechanism 103 stopattracting the rod 31, so that the fixing mechanism 30 is released, thenthe piston motor 24 makes the hooks 25 hook the another one of the firstand second positioning parts 33, 34, so that the fixing mechanism 30 isabutted against the support bracket 23 of the clamping device 201, andtherefore can be driven by the clamping device 201 and the conveyingmechanism 20 to move on the work platform 10.

With the abovementioned structure, the fixing mechanism 30 is allowed tomove within the offset distance between the first and second positioningparts 33, 34, and there is a same offset distance (which is equal to theoffset distance between the first and second positioning parts 33, 34)between the processing device 50 which is fixed on the work platform 10and the computer-controlled sewing machine 40. By such arrangements, thecoordinates of the position of the sewing head 41 can be converted intothe coordinates of the position of the processing head 51. Therefore,the sewing operation and the relative processing procedures, such as theinserting of eyelets or application of cement, can use the samecoordinate system to position the to-be-processed object, which avoidsthe problems caused when the sewing machine and other processing devicesare used separately.

While we have shown and described various embodiments in accordance withthe present invention, it is clear to those skilled in the art thatfurther embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of thepresent invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-controlled sewing machine positioningsystem integrated with a processing device, comprising: a work platformincluding a top surface, an opposite bottom surface, and a positioningmechanism disposed on the top surface; a conveying mechanism disposed atone side of the work platform, and including a first slide rail assemblyextending in a direction X and a second slide rail assembly extending ina direction Y, a clamping device being disposed at one end of the secondslide rail assembly facing the work platform; a computer-controlledsewing machine disposed on the work platform and including a processingprogram, and further including a sewing head which is disposed above thetop surface of the work platform; at least one processing devicedisposed on the work platform, and including a processing head, arelative distance being provided between the processing head and thesewing head and located along the work platform; and a fixing mechanismserving to fix an object to be sewn, and including a rod extending inthe direction X and a support plate which has a lateral edge fixed tothe rod, the rod being provided at two ends thereof with a firstpositioning part and a second positioning portion, and a positioningdistance being provided between the first and second positioningportions; wherein the positioning mechanism, the conveying mechanism,the clamping device and the processing device are electrically connectedto the computer-controlled sewing machine and controlled to operate bythe processing program, the processing program controls the positioningmechanism to fix the fixing mechanism to the work platform and make theclamping device selectively clamp the first positioning part or thesecond positioning portion, and the fixing mechanism is driven by theconveying mechanism to move on the work platform, so that the processingprogram is able to calculate a movement distance of the fixing mechanismbetween the sewing head or the processing head by using the positioningdistance and the relative distance.
 2. The computer-controlled sewingmachine positioning system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the clampingdevice is disposed at one end of the second slide rail assembly facingthe work platform, a piston motor is provided on the support bracket,and two link rods are disposed at two ends of the piston motor and eachhas a distal end pivoted to a hook, respectively; each of the first andsecond positioning parts includes a pair of positioning protrusions; thetwo link rods are driven by the piston motor to make the hooks releaseor clamp the positioning protrusions of the fixing mechanism, so thatthe fixing mechanism is abutted against the support bracket and drivenby the conveying mechanism to move on the work platform to a positionbelow the sewing head or the processing head.
 3. The computer-controlledsewing machine positioning system as claimed in claim 1, wherein thepositioning mechanism includes two electromagnets, and each of theelectromagnets includes a magnetic surface which protrudes out of thetop surface, the rod of the fixing mechanism is a magneticallyattractive metal rod to be attracted to the two electromagnets, so thatthe fixing mechanism is fixed to the top surface of the work platform.4. The computer-controlled sewing machine positioning system as claimedin claim 1, wherein the at least one processing device is selected fromthe group consisting of eyelet inserting machine, a cementingapplication gun and a holes punching hammer, the relative distance isprovided between the processing head of the processing device and thesewing head and located along the work platform.
 5. Thecomputer-controlled sewing machine positioning system as claimed inclaim 1, wherein the positioning distance between the first and secondpositioning parts of the fixing mechanism is equal to the relativedistance between the processing head of the processing device and thesewing head of the computer-controlled sewing machine, so that positioncoordinates are obtained to move the fixing mechanism between the sewinghead and the processing head.
 6. A positioning method of thecomputer-controlled sewing machine positioning system as claimed inclaim 1, being used in the sewing operation and the processingprocedures integrated with the sewing operation, characterized in that,the positioning method comprises: a step of defining the relativedistance including: locating the processing device in a position whichis precisely defined and located at a distance from the sewing head ofthe computer-controlled sewing machine, defining a distance between theprocessing head and the sewing head along the work platform as therelative distance, and presetting the relative distance in theprocessing program of the computer-controlled sewing machine; a step ofdefining the positioning distance including: presetting the firstpositioning part and the second positioning part on the rod of thefixing mechanism, defining a distance between the first and secondpositioning parts as the positioning distance, presetting thepositioning distance in the processing program of thecomputer-controlled sewing machine; a step of positioning insewing-operation including: using the clamping device to clamp the firstpositioning part of the fixing mechanism, abutting the fixing mechanismagainst the support bracket, moving, by the conveying mechanism, thefixing mechanism to a position below the sewing head; and a step ofpositioning in processing procedures including: sending, by theprocessing program, an instruction to the conveying mechanism to makethe clamping device clamp against the fixing mechanism when theprocessing program determines the positioning distance with respect tothe relative distance, finding coordinates where the relative distanceand the positioning distance are equal, so that, based on thecoordinates, the fixing mechanism is moved from the position below thesewing head to a position below the processing head to performprocessing procedures.
 7. The positioning method as claimed in claim 1,wherein the step of positioning in sewing-operation and the step ofpositioning in processing procedures can be swapped, there is a methodfor changing the position of the fixing mechanism between the step ofpositioning in sewing-operation and the step of positioning inprocessing procedures, the method for changing the position of thefixing mechanism including: turning on the positioning mechanism, whenthe clamping device clamps one of the first and second positioningportions, to fix the fixing mechanism to the work platform; making theclamping device release the one of the first and second positioningportions; moving, by the conveying mechanism, the clamping device in thedirection Y to release from the fixing mechanism, moving the clampingdevice in the direction X to another one of the first and secondpositioning portions, moving the clamping device in the direction Y tothe another one of the first and second positioning portions; making theclamping device clamp the another one of the first and secondpositioning portions, making the positioning mechanism stop working, sothat the fixing mechanism is allowed to be driven by the clamping deviceand the conveying mechanism to move on the work platform.